bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

Wearable devices have come a long way from counting steps or heartbeats, with new tech offering the ability to track blood oxygenation, glucose levels and blood pressure – though its reliability remains a matter of debate.
Some of the most cutting-edge products are on display at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
Almost 10 years since the debut of the Apple Watch, the global market for “trackers” – watches, bracelets and other bands – is valued at around US$60 billion, according to several firms, and is expected to exceed US$100 billion by the end of the 2020s.
“Before smartwatches, no one was thinking about heart-rate monitoring,” said Anna Barnacka, CEO and president of health-tech start-up MindMics. “Today, everyone is quite aware about how important it is.”

MindMics says its headphones use wave-based technology to offer a complete analysis of cardiac activity – including the condition and function of heart valves.
“You can look at your heart with the precision of a medical device,” Barnacka said.
In clinical trials, Barnacka said, the device was able to capture a murmur in a patient with aortic stenosis, which is the narrowing of a heart valve.
Currently, diagnosing aortic stenosis requires multiple tests, including inserting a probe into an artery.
Another wearable product at CES is Stelo, by California-based start-up DexCom. Stelo is the first non-prescription wearable patch capable of continuously measuring blood sugar levels.

Such patches have typically been reserved for diabetics, but Stelo will be available even “if you have prediabetes, or if you’re just interested in understanding how different food impacts your body”, said DexCom chief operating officer Jake Leach.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 100 million Americans have prediabetes – elevated blood sugar levels that are below the threshold for diabetes.
“The vast majority of them don’t know they have prediabetes because they haven’t had the testing,” Leach said.
Other latest-generation devices can detect sleep apnoea, take blood pressure readings or report cardiac arrhythmia.
Still, part of the medical and scientific community is sceptical about the data collected by these wearables.
“I’m sure some of these products are beneficial, so I don’t want to sound like I’m doubting all of them, but the approval process is honestly pathetic,” said Diana Zuckerman, president of the US National Centre for Health Research.
This was a reference to the validation protocol of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has authority on the subject.

Connected devices “are not tested as rigorously” as drugs, Zuckerman said.
“The only way I could tell whether the quality of the data are improving is if it were being made publicly available in a way that somebody like me could evaluate,” Zuckerman said, adding that this was not generally the case.
Some devices, such as those from DexCom and MindMics, have nevertheless been the subject of independent studies by doctors and researchers, who have recognised their effectiveness for certain parameters.
Tammy Brady, a professor at Johns Hopkins University in the US who specialises in hypertension in children, is cautious about the results produced by bracelets, watches and other connected rings.
“Ideally, it would be great to have blood pressure information for a growing number of people, but for the time being, they’re too approximate to use reliably,” she said.

As a member of a committee on blood pressure monitors, Brady works with the International Organization for Standardization, the originator of the ISO standards.
“We hope that once ISO standards for cuffless blood pressure are set, it will help manufacturers and the FDA to rigorously test their reliability,” she said.
Like what you read? Follow SCMP Lifestyle on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also sign up for our eNewsletter here.


New health tech wearables at CES measure blood sugar, capture heart murmurs

How mouth-taping sleep hack could reduce snoring – but beware of side effects

That morning coffee is doing wonders for your health, says new study

3 fitness trends for 2025, from advances in wearable tech to more old people exercising

Wellness

MindMics’s headphones were able to capture, in clinical trials, a murmur in a patient with aortic stenosis, said the company’s CEO and president Anna Barnacka. Photo: MindMics

Anna Barnacka is CEO and president of MindMics. Photo: Facebook/mindmics.old

Stelo is a non-prescription wearable patch capable of continuously measuring blood sugar levels. Photo: Instagram/stelo

Diana Zuckerman is president of the US National Centre for Health Research. Photo: Diana Zuckerman

Tammy Brady is a professor at Johns Hopkins University in the US who specialises in hypertension in children. Photo: Johns Hopkins University

Testing for dementia by asking patients to draw a clock, walk and talk, stand on one leg

The clock-drawing test requires a person to be able to interpret the placement of the hands in relation to the numbers. It is an ability often lost in people with early dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

There are many different ways to score the clock-drawing test. Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Baibing Chen says the clock-drawing test is especially useful in judging brain health. Photo: Dr Baibing Chen

If a person has trouble with the balance test, standing on one leg for up to 30 seconds, it can indicate problems with motor coordination or even early signs of neurodegenerative conditions. Photo: Shutterstock

A diminished sense of smell is often one of the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, sometimes predating cognitive symptoms by years. It can also be a symptom of Covid-19. Photo: Shutterstock

Tests must be conducted within the context of the patient’s overall health, history, and current symptoms. Photo: Shutterstock

Different parts of the brain are responsible for different cognitive skills. Illustration: Shutterstock

Just as not all memory lapses mean someone has dementia, “failing” these tests does not necessarily mean they suffer from it. Photo: Shutterstock

From ECGs to AI, advances in diagnosis and treatment of heart disease and how to prevent it

Advances in technology are making it easier to view the heart in greater detail. 
Photo: Shutterstock


Getting outdoors is a great way to prevent cardiovascular disease. Cardiologists explain other ways to safeguard heart health and risks, as we look at advances in heart medicine for World Heart Day. Photo: Shutterstock

Cardiology has come a long way in a short time, with technological advances making it easier than ever to detect and treat heart-related issues. Artificial intelligence is now being harnessed in heart health. Photo: Shutterstock

Professor Charalambos Antoniades is the British Heart Foundation chair of cardiovascular medicine at Oxford. Photo: facebook.com/bhf

Dr Jagat Narula, president-elect of the World Heart Federation. Photo: World Heart Federation

Dr Boon Lim is a London-based consultant cardiologist and electrophysiologist. Photo: Dr Boon Lim

Lim recommends walking or sitting in silence in nature, without distraction from digital devices – a practice known as forest bathing. Photo: Shutterstock

9 crucial facts about diabetes, from worrying trends and how to avoid it, to ‘diabesity’

Glucose monitors help people with diabetes keep track of their blood sugar levels. On World Diabetes Day we look at how to manage and even avoid type 2 diabetes, and other important facets of the disease. Photo: Shutterstock

Type 1 diabetes develops when your immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys cells in your pancreas that make insulin, which is needed to help cells absorb glucose. Type 2 is caused by insulin resistance or insufficient insulin secretion. Photo: Shutterstock  

Hong Kong-based endocrinologist Dr Wong Wai-sheung. Photo: Dr Wong Wai-sheung

Singaporean endocrinologist Dr Abel Soh. Photo: Dr Abel Soh

Endocrinologist Dr Ben Ng. Photo: Dr Ben Ng

Diabetes that isn’t well managed can lead to nerve damage, particularly in the feet, which may require amputation. Photo: Shutterstock

Anne Hathaway’s weight loss journey: anti-inflammatory diet, intense exercise key to actress’ transformation for Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises

Anne Hathaway at a Valentino fashion show in Rome, Italy, in 2022. The actresshas talked about how she lost weight for her various movie roles. Photo: Getty Images

Hathaway as Catwoman in a still from The Dark Knight Rises. Photo: Warner Bros

To control her blood sugar, Hathaway ate avocados, almonds, sesame seeds, plain chocolate, bright red and orange vegetables high in antioxidants like yams, dark leafy greens, plus ginger and turmeric. Photo: Shutterstock

Hathaway on the set of The Devil Wears Prada. Photo: Getty Images 

Hathaway in a still from Les Misérables. Photo: Universal Pictures

Lifestyle

Health & Wellness

Health

Gadgets

MindMics’ earbuds and DexCom’s Stelo patches stand out at CES 2025, while an expert calls the approval process for such devices ‘pathetic’


MindMics’ earbuds and DexCom’s Stelo patches stand out at CES 2025, while an expert calls the approval process for such devices ‘pathetic’.
